Justin Trudeau Just Gave the Fight Against The Biggest Global Killers a Serious Shot in the Arm

The Global Fund is a giant pool of money created in 2002 to address the three leading killers around the world: AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It’s main contributors are governments, though private organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also contribute.

Over the past 14 years, the Global Fund has raised over $30 billion to fund interventions against these three diseases. And they have a lot to show for it.

Every three years, the Global Fund holds a “replenishment” conference to raise money for the next three years. Yesterday, the government of Canada–Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to be precise–announced that the next replenishment conference will be held in Montreal, and that the Canada was increasing its contributions by 20%, to over 785 million Canadian Dollars.

This is a significant increase by a country that was already the 6th biggest donor to the Global Fund, after the USA, UK, France, Germany, and Japan. It also bodes well for the prospect that the Global Fund will reach its target of raising $13 billion.

Reaching those targets translates fairly directly to lives saved. The Global Fund says that AIDS deaths in the countries in countries where the Global Fund invests declined more than 40 percent, from 2 million in 2004 to 1.1 million in 2014; TB deaths were down 39%; and Malaria deaths declined by 48%.

The USA remains the single largest donor, typically contributing about one third of the goal. In 2013, the USA contributed just over $4 billion toward a $12 billion goal. But with countries like Canada stepping up in a major way, this new fundraising round is off to an excellent start.

Justin Trudeau is the gift to liberal internationalism that keeps on giving.